This article explores the Law of Nations—the early modern framework of international law articulated by thinkers such as Hugo Grotius, Samuel Pufendorf, and Emer de Vattel—and its influence on the American founding. It examines how the Founders appealed to “the law of nature and of nations” in the Declaration of Independence and how these principles shaped the U.S. Constitution, foreign policy, and concepts of justice in war and peace. The essay also offers a critical reflection on the erosion of these principles in modern times, arguing for their recovery as essential to preserving both domestic liberty and lawful international order.

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